Chapter 58: Prison of Regression
December 23
"They're saying Shido one by a landslide on the news…" Octavia muttered as the gang gathered at her apartment.
"…There, they announced the poor health of their leader, Masayoshi Shido," the newscast said. "As such, the special Diet session was postponed, along with Shido's inauguration as prime minister."
"Postponed?" Makoto said in shock.
"They should be firing him!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"And wait, "poor health"?" Ann questioned.
"This is completely different from what my sister told us…" Makoto said.
"If it wouldn't get us in more shit, I would totally have IMP take care of this for us…" Loona growled.
"I heard people talking about Shido on the way here," Collin said. "How can people still believe in him?"
"What the heck!?" Ann shouted as she looked at her phone. "The Phantom Thieves are being treated like, well… like they never existed!" Everyone else took out their phones to check.
"Goodness…" Morgana gaped.
"No link among the 'change of heart" incidents, only coincidental psychiatric disorders"…" Haru read. "The Phantom Thieves only used those rumors to their advantage"…"
"This is preposterous… Who would believe such things?" Yusuke questioned.
"But the person saying this is a famous researcher," Futaba pointed out. "And even the ministry is saying that's how they determined the situation too…"
"No matter how you look at it, this isn't normal," Octavia shook her head.
"Yeah… It's as if the people in reality have become distorted…" Morgana nodded. "What's happening here worries me. But the only thing we can do right now is wait and see what happens…"
[***]
That evening, the Phantom Thieves regrouped to receive a message from Sae about the situation. "The assembly of Shido's case is in danger!?" Collin gasped.
"We know he doesn't need a psychiatric evaluation!" Haru said.
"His lackeys must've pressured the others around him," Sojiro guessed. "It means there's far more people who'd get in trouble if the truth came out than we imagined."
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Ann asked.
"Sis said the assembly of a case may be possible if the general public wants Shido held accountable… But even that chance has been destroyed with the manipulation of the mass media," Makoto said. "They made it clear that the argument itself was "occult," even claiming that it never happened."
"As a result, the Phantom Thieves are still labeled as criminals, even after all that's happened," Sojiro frowned.
"It's a storm of criticisms online too. People are saying to catch the remnants and execute them…" Futaba added.
"This is crazy…" Ann shook her head.
"At any rate, let's wait for my sister. She should be arriving here soon," Makoto said.
Ryuji pounded a fist on the table. "Everyone's being tricked so easily! Why the hell did we risk our lives then!?"
"If Shido isn't judged by the law, everything we've done will be treated as if it never happened," Yusuke said.
"Moving the entire country however they wish by controlling people's cognition… This is no different that being inside a Palace…" Octavia muttered.
It was then that Sae walked in, a forlorn look on her face. "…I'm sorry. I gathered the best of the best and fought for a case… but as Makoto must've told you, it was denied. At this rate, it won't end with just Shido's innocence. This trend will continue spiraling down. There's even the possibility that crimes using the Metaverse will advance onto a national scale."
"What…?" Ren gasped.
"…But, that's not what I'm here to tell you. We're in danger because we know the truth," Sae continued. "It's only a matter of time before we're apprehended. It wouldn't be odd if they were to charge in now."
"This makes no fucking sense…" Loona growled.
"Sis…" Makoto whispered.
"There's nothing more I can do with my resources… That's why… I want to ask for your help," Sae said. "I wondered if there was any way you could do something one last time. I know that I'm in no position to ask this of you."
"That doesn't matter to us!" Collin replied. "But, what can we do now? I don't think we have the time to change the hearts of all of Shido's followers…"
"There's too little information on all of them anyways…" Futaba added.
"We can only target individuals… Are we no match against the national power?" Yusuke wondered.
Morgana and Octavia shared a look before the not-cat spoke up. "…Mementos. If we use Mementos, we might be able to do something."
"Like we all know, Mementos is the Palace of the people," Octavia said. "It's the source of all distortions, and is maintained by the people's "collective unconscious." What means…"
"Wait, you think there's a Treasure even in Mementos!?" Queen gasped. "And if we go after that-"
"The collapse of Mementos should affect the public as a whole. The state of society would change too," Morgana finished the thought. "If everyone's hearts grow to hold Shido responsible for his actions, things might start going our way."
"That's a bold plan, but an interesting one," Yusuke said.
"Sounds good to me!" Loona grinned.
"but if we're gonna do this, there's one thing you all need to realize," Morgana said. "To begin with, why does something like the human cognition exist as another, substantial world? The reason for that is most likely sleeping within Mementos. We'll be destroying that, you know."
"…I don't see where you're going with this," Ryuji shook his head.
"To put it in simple terms, we aren't going to be able to go into Palaces anymore," Octavia said. "Once the Entity is gone- or whatever is down there- our days as Phantom Thieves will be over."
"We'll have to discard this way of life…" Haru said.
"I think we need to do this," Collin said to the team. "I mean, we're the group who's reforming society, right?"
"Ren… What do you think as our leader?" Morgana asked. "You may not lose your demon powers, but everything else you've gained from Mementos will be erased. Will you still do it?"
"Yes. For our justice," Ren nodded.
"Yeah, that's right!" Ann cheered.
"You guys have all grown, huh?" Morgana smiled. "All right. It seems there are no objections."
"Did you come up with a plan?" Sae asked.
"Whether it succeeds or not is another story though," Makoto admitted.
"Miss Prosecutor… looks like this is gonna be our last job," Ryuji said.
"Last job?" Sae questioned.
"The rest is up to you," Ren said.
"Once we accomplish and overcome this ordeal, we're entrusting you and other respected adults to fix this country," Octavia said. "That's our condition for accepting this job."
"This is a "deal" then… That's certainly a heave condition. But very well, I accept," Sae said. "I swear to make Masayoshi Shido stand and be tried in the court of law. Besides… My pride won't allow me to be continually saved by you all without doing anything in return."
"We'll be counting on you," Makoto smiled.
"Looks like it's decided then?" Sojiro said.
"You're the leader, Ren, and this is officially our last mission. Come on, say something!" Loona said.
"Let's fix this country," Ren stated, flashing into his demon form.
"We already say that before though!" Futaba giggled.
"That's fine. We're doing it for real this time, after all," Haru smiled.
"We don't have much time. Let's get this done tomorrow," Morgana said.
"Aw, but it'll be Christmas Eve…" Collin sighed.
"You can celebrate that shit after we kick the entity's ass, Lambchop," Loona said.
"Please don't take the Son's birthday in vain, dear…" Collin sighed.
"…I'm counting on you guys," Morgana said. "No matter what happens, you better see it through!"
[***]
December 24
Location: Mementos
"Hey, check out the Nav," Lycan said. "The door to the depths of Mementos has opened…" Wait, does that mean…?"
"The way to where the Entity lies is just ahead," Omen nodded.
"…We're really gonna do this, right?" Mona asked.
"Of course!" Panther nodded.
"Why're you asking now?" Skull questioned.
"Well… I-I just thought, what am I gonna do if you guys freak out and bail on me!" Mona replied. "We're going to erase Mementos, aren't we? Come on, let's go, you guys!"
"Mona sure seems hyped up!" Oracle noted.
As the gang ran off, Noir, Panther, and Omen lingered a moment. "Say… Isn't Mona-chan behaving… a bit odd?" Noir asked.
"You know, you're right…" Panther nodded.
"Yeah…" Omen agreed. "…You girls will be there to help him no matter what, right?"
"Of course!" Noir said. "Mona-chan's been a great help!"
Omen looked over at Panther. "And you know how he feels about you, right?"
Panther looked away for a moment. "Y-Yeah… It's just, I don't know exactly how to respond to… that…"
"When the time comes, I'm sure you'll find the right words," Omen assured her. "Just don't hesitate to make your true feelings known, even if it breaks his heart."
"R-Right…" Panther nodded.
Haru sighed. "I shouldn't have brought that up. Shall we get going?" Joining back up with the rest of the team, the Phantom Thieves dived down, down into Mementos, past the previously locked door into the deepest path.
"The hell is this…?" Skull said.
"It's some big, fossil-looking thing… So this must be the Treasure," Oracle said.
"Wait, look on the side… It's the train running down to Mementos," Fox pointed out. "So this is where that crowd of people was trying to reach?"
"People are walking in and out of there, so the other side of the wall must be… Wait! It's not a wall, but a giant door?" Queen said.
"Guess that mean's the Treasure's not here," Lycan said. "Come on, let's stay focused. But if that thing is a door, how are we supposed to get past?"
As the group approached, the wall parted, revealing a way through. "It opened straight away…" Mona noted. "I bet that means the inner depths the Meta-Nav was talking about before are straight ahead."
"Hold on," Oracle warned. "The door only opens from this side…"
"….What do you mean?" Omen asked.
"Well, I took a quick peek at the mechanism inside the door… And it looks like you can only open it from here. We can get in, but nothing can get out," Oracle explained.
"It's as though whatever lies ahead within has been locked away…" Queen said.
"Wait, so you're saying that the people going in there are choosing a life of imprisonment?" Templar questioned.
"I have never felt such eeriness before… What is this place?" Fox wondered.
"We'll find out once we reach the depths. Come on, let's go," Mona said.
On the other side of the door was a massive chasm, with vein-like structures sprawling down into the middle. "What the Hell is this place…?" Lycan muttered.
"It's so creepy…" Panther shuttered.
"So those strange pipes tunneling through Mementos were originating from down here after all," Omen said. "You know, looking at them now… They remind me of blood veins."
"More importantly, what's with the scenery? What kind of distortion is this?" Templar questioned. "I mean, what do the people think this world is…!?"
"Calm down, Templar. The Treasure is definitely here, and that's what's important now," Mona assured him. "And I can sense something else. A Tremendous presence that's coming from much deeper within…"
"I don't know that I want to find out what that may be, but we must harden our resolves," Queen said. "It's time to head for the depths!"
"The path forward leads over where all of those cognitions are…" Omen pointed out.
"It looks like they're all trying to get past that door," Mona noted.
"But why's it so crowded!?" Panther questioned.
"It looks like the door's keeping them all out. We'll have to try and look for another way in," Oracle said. With Joker's Third Eye the team found a way around the door, sneaking into the proper start of the Depths of Mementos.
"I'm… getting a bad feelings from this place. I wonder why…" Noir said.
"The Shadows out front were trying to get in here, right? What could it be…?" Templar wondered.
Moving forward on the path, Oracle suddenly stopped as she looked around. "Hm!? What is this place?" Looking around the team saw hundreds of cognitions, locked up behind bars. "Are those… chains on them? …Is this a prison!?"
"Who's captured here?" Skull wondered.
"Technically speaking, I would say it's someone's Shadow…" Queen replied.
"They're saying something…" Noir noticed.
"C'mon, don't be out there and come on in."
"Don't open the cells, okay? I have no intention of leaving this place!"
"The feel safe being here?" Fox said in confusion. "What're you saying? You're being kept in a prison."
"This reminds me of Kamoshida's castle… They're like the "slaves" we saw there," Mona recalled.
"That's right… This place is the best in the end. In the depths within is a system that grants desires…"
"A system that grants… desires?" Panther repeated.
"Something like that exists? Here!?" Skull exclaimed.
"It's no use. You can't reason with these people," Queen shook her head.
"They're truly "distorted," just like the scenery here…" Templar shuttered.
"You end up searching for stuff or being troubled because you're outside the prison. There are things you don't need to know to live on."
"He's right. Things like the details on the system, the locked "Quarantine Cell"…"
"Quarantine? Who's locked in there?" Omen asked.
"Supposedly a great and truly dangerous criminal, but who would want to check a place like that? Come no, we don't have to chat like this. Why not come inside?"
"Yeah, no thanks, dude," Lycan shook her head. Her ears twitched as she noticed distress coming from Mona. "…Mona?"
The not-cat was silent as a Shadow guard walked into the room. "Hm? Why are you out and about? Where are your restraints!?"
"Oh crap…" Skull cursed.
More guards came into the room. "Removing your restrains is not allowed. Outsiders… must be eliminated!" The two Shadows turned into Melchizedek, but Mona was able to blow them away with his Wind magic.
"That was careless of us. It should be no surprise that a prison has guards," Fox shook his head.
"Wait a sec… This is everyone's Palace, right? Not like Kamoshida's castle… Who's keeping these people here?" Skull asked.
"It's the entity, no doubt about it," Omen said. "I'm more worried about why Mona froze up for a second there."
"…I remember now," the not-cat said. "I've… seen this place before."
"Hold on though. It wasn't open until we came here today," Panther pointed out.
"Sorry… It's just a sense I'm getting," Mona apologized. "Still… it feels like I'm really close to remembering something important…"
"Y'know coming in here was what you wanted from the beginning. We just gotta keep moving on!" Lycan said.
"On top of that, I'm curious to know who the ruler of this place, this entity, really is," Templar added.
"Yeah… You're right," Mona nodded.
"Wait, what about these people?" Noir asked.
"Leave them be. They'll be taken care of if we erase Mementos," Queen said.
"Hey, it's dangerous to keep standing around here! Let's get going!" Oracle said. Moving ahead, the gang found what seemed to be an impassible wall, but actually was part of a puzzle the had to solve by lighting up floor tiles in a particular path. Once that was finished, the way forward opened, allowing them to continue onwards.
A few more floor puzzles later and the team was at what looked like a ramp going further down into the depths The Cavernous Void. "Whoa, what the shit…!?" Skull cursed.
"It seems to go on ad infinitum… Where does it lead?" Fox wondered.
"I never expected there would be this much here…" Mona admitted. "But the Treasure's presence is getting stronger. We're going in the right direction for sure." Mona turned into his car form to drive the gang down further, ending up in another jail room.
Panther gasped as she saw who one of the inmates was. What!? You're…"
"K-Kamoshida!?" Skull exclaimed.
"Sens-" Fox froze up seeing his old teacher again. "No… Madarame…"
"Huh, Kaneshiro isn't here…" Queen noted.
"Because he's dead, remember?" Lycan recalled.
"The same with my father too, it seems…" Noir said.
"Noir…" Templar whispered.
"No, it's okay. More importantly, look there," Noir said. She pointed to a solitary cell where a certain bald man was sitting.
"Masayoshi Shido!" Omen shouted.
"The hell's going on!? These guys shoulda had a change of heart from their Palaces disappearing!" Skull exclaimed.
"Mn, your bod's as great as always. Come on, come closer," Kamoshida said.
"You creep!" Panther shouted in disgust.
"Hmph… I'm joking. I don't want any more trouble. I finally get to live without having to think for myself now," Kamoshida said.
"I mistakenly thought myself to be talented… but now I think I'm a fool for wanting too much," Madarame said.
"It's no wonder people who can't take a hint get yelled at…" Paimon's voice said, making Omen whip around and look at his encaged Shadow in shock.
"N-No way… Even Paimon is here…" she gaped.
"I'm done being the king. Who cares if I'm looked down upon now? It's not like you get punished for your errors in judgement. Nobody needs to strive to be more than they really are," Paimon said.
"These people seem completely different than they were before…" Fox noted.
"I don't think it's because they had a change of heart though…" Queen said.
"Wait… Have they chosen a life of captivity after they lost their distorted desires?" Mona wondered.
"Unfortunately, Okumura and Kaneshiro aren't here with us," Shido said. "Nothing can be done for the dead… I'm sorry."
"…Yes, I know. Thank you for the details," Noir glared. "Now if you don't mind, what in the world is this place?"
"It's supposedly called the "Prison of Regression"," Shido revealed.
"Regression… Sounds like a fancy way of saying Sloth," Omen scoffed.
"More importantly, does this look like captivity to you? Why, it's the exact opposite. The utmost freedom is available to anyone who desires it here," Shido continued. "This is the freedom to not make decisions… The release from having to think for yourself. It is far more marvelous than the country I wished to create…"
"Release form having to think? But, that's…" Templar muttered.
Shido went on, "However, there are some fools who cannot stay put in this place. In other words, they are escaped convicts… Of course, I'm talking about our past selves. Such people are segregated from this peaceful world and locked away in their own Palaces."
"So those are the Palace rulers…" Queen realized.
"I really gotta thank you for changing my heart. I got to come back here, after all," Kamoshida said.
"We… sent 'em back here?" Lycan questioned.
"I don't understand…" Fox shook his head. "Just what have we been doing by using the cognitive world?"
"It's too late to ask that now," Joker replied.
"That's true, but…" Templar faltered to give a response.
"This ain't the time to be getting confused! We're here as the society-fixing Phantom Thieves today!" Skull said.
"Having the freedom to not make your own decisions only means that someone else is controlling you!" Omen stated. "Tell me- who is the ruler here? Who is the entity that made all of this?"
"What an odd question to ask. It should be obvious: every member of the general public," Shido answered. "Haven't you learned anything in school? The collective ruler of a democratic country is its people."
"D-Don't lie out of your ass like that!" Lycan shouted. "I mean, there was a guard here earlier! That means someone's gotta be looking out for you guys, right?"
"You may be right. We are the ones "looking out" upon everyone else," Shido replied.
"No…" Panther gasped.
"So the ones that least want the prison to be tampered with… are the prisoners themselves?" Queen said.
"It don't matter what this guy's talking about… We're gonna erase all of Mementos anyways!" Skull exclaimed. "Come on, let's get going! Mona! The Treasure's in the deepest part, right!?"
Mona didn't reply. "Mona?" Oracle asked.
"I do remember this place…" Mona said. "I saw the humans in here… and realized I looked different than them for some reason… Right! That's when I started to think I wanted to turn into a human!"
"Is that why you thought you would regain your true form if we destroyed Mementos?" Omen asked.
Mona shook his head. "Sorry… I'm still missing a lot of my memories… But I know I started randomly checking a bunch of Palaces… Then my next memory is about that bastard Kamoshida's… Yeah. I'm starting to remember more…"
"What are you doing here?" A guard asked as they ran into the room.
"Damnit… We got careless!" Lycan cursed.
"Let's run!" Templar shouted.
"I've discovered some escaped inmates! Catch them at once!" The Phantom Thieves made their escape from the guards, moving forward in the depths and solving another floor puzzle to continue onwards. This one involved grabbing an item to activate special floor tiles, but Queen was able to take down the Shadows that held the item, allowing them to move on.
"Seriously? IT's still going further down…?" Panther groaned.
"We're so far underground at this point…" Queen said.
"I hope we don't suddenly find ourselves in a giant pool of lava…" Fox said.
"Still, we gotta keep going!" Skull said. Going down even further, the gang came across another prison room.
"Well… That cell looks different from the others," Omen noted. It was barred over and had a bolted steel door in place behind the bars. "Wanna bet this is the Quarantine Cell?"
"Supposedly the most sinful, most dangerous inmate is held within…" Templar recalled.
"This… This place smells familiar for some reason…" Mona said.
"Mona-chan?" Noir asked.
"…There's no mistake. This is it," Mona said. "I… was born here."
"Yeah, I'm going to have to doubt you being the most sinful or dangerous person ever," Lycan said. "Still, being a prison baby? That's hardcore."
"Like something out of a comic book," Joker hummed.
"No… the inmate wasn't me…" Mona shook his head. "But I remember this place… Someone created me here… To guide all of you…"
"Guide? And who is this someone?" Omen asked.
"Ngh… I can't remember…" Mona sighed. "Damn it… I'm so close… but my memory is too foggy…"
"Y'know, hearing all this just makes me wanna know what's inside," Skull said.
'We found them! The escapees are in front of the isolated cell!" a Shadow guard shouted as he ran in. "Alert! Alert! Capture them at once!" The Shadows turned into Dominions, but Skull and Lycan were able to use their skills to take care of them.
"This place seems to be under high alert now. We should keep going," Omen said. "Given how important this cell is, the bottom of Mementos should be close. Mona's memories will return if we go on…"
"Yeah…" Mona nodded.
"So, we're finally getting close to the public's Treasure, huh?" Lycan said.
"Now that I think about it, it makes sense Mementos would connect to some place like underneath Shibuya," Mona noted. "Everyone crams themselves into packed underground boxes day after day without any complaints… From my standpoint, those are the true inmates of Mementos. It's not surprising the places are connected."
"You know, the voices of the public may have led the Phantom Thieves on more than any criminal…" Queen said.
"Seriously! Let's hurry up and steal that Treasure so we can crush Mementos!" Skull shouted.
"We truly are reforming society…" Noir said.
"Let's go!" Templar cheered. There were more floor puzzles to deal with, this time with timed panels, but the Phantom Thieves got through them with no problem. After stopping in one last safe room, they saw what lied before them.
"…The Hell is this?" Lycan said, looking up at where all the veins converged.
"It's huge… I didn't think such a gigantic place existed here…" Queen said.
"Is… this where everyone's Treasure is held?" Templar asked.
"Yeah, that should be the case," Mona nodded.
"But this ominously bizarre air about it… It almost feels like a temple of sorts. Although…" Fox hummed.
"Look, th-there's no point freaking out now! Come on, let's go!" Skull said.
Joker grappled the team to the other side, sliding down a ramp before entering the building, the Shrine at the bottom of Mementos. At the bottom was what looked like a giant mechanical cup, with two hand statues on either side and the veins flowing out of the top of the cup. "The hell!?" Skull exclaimed.
Templar looked around the room. "Look at how many there are… Are these all prison cells?"
"And… what's that thing in the middle?" Oracle wondered.
"Whatever it is, it looks disgustingly grand…" Panther frowned.
"There are no other passages leading out of this room," Fox noted. "It appears this is our final destination… the depths of Mementos."
"In that case, is the Treasure of Mementos somewhere in here?" Noir asked.
"That should be the case," Joker replied.
"I think you're right… I've never been here… but I can sense it," Mona nodded. "There's no escaping that presence. If we get rid of it… If we get rid of it, the public should come to its senses!"
"Yeah, I don't think we'll be able to carry this giant cup out of here," Lycan shook her head.
"We just gotta make it disappear, right? IF we can't move it, then we'll just hafta destroy it!" Skull declared.
"Yeah… That should work," Omen nodded. "Once we do that, the entire Metaverse will disappear. This is finally it…"
Oracle suddenly perked up. "Oh. I guess it's no surprise we've been discovered. That thing isn't gonna sit back and let itself get destroyed."
"Even the inmates are starting to liven up. How eerie…" Fox said. "Are they planning something?"
"That must mean this thing's gotta be the Treasure. They saved us the trouble of checking!" skull smirked.
"…Hold on. Something's off," Queen warned. "Shido said the masses are allowing themselves to be held captive here… Could they truly be operating this gigantic system that eliminates intruders on its own? The prison guards and soldiers were very organized too…"
"You're saying the public doesn't rule this place," Omen replied. "Then it must be…"
Suddenly, a sinister laugh could be heard in the room. "What was that!?" Templar shouted.
"We don't have time to worry about that! Leave it for later!" Lycan said.
"All right, guys! We better not lose now!" Mona said. "Let's hurry up and destroy this thing! Everyone… give it your all!"
"All right, let's do it!" Oracle cheered.
"Seiten Taisei!" Skull called, summoning his Persona and smashing the Treasure with a powerful God's Hand.
"Kamu Susano-o!" Fox shouted, his Persona raising their sword and slashing with a Brave Blade attack.
"Mercurius!" Mona exclaimed, his Persona whipping up a strong wind with Garudyne.
"Stop… Stop it!"
"Don't touch the Holy Grail!" the Shadows wailed.
"Holy Grail…?" Oracle questioned.
"No way! I've seen the Lord's cup, and it looks nothing like that!" Templar said. Suddenly the veins started glowing, restoring power to the Treasure. "What was that!?"
"Don't tell me… Are the inmates giving it their strength...!?" Oracle gasped.
"Damnit! This is never gonna end!" Skull cursed.
"It seems hopeless if there are this many inmates supporting it…" Fox said.
"You fools. Human, yet wishing to eradicate the desires of humanity…" a godlike voice said.
"The entity…" Omen growled, holding up her staff. "Show your face, coward! Don't hide behind a false idol"
"Repent," the voice said.
"The Treasure's talking!?" Queen gasped.
"I am revered as the granter of dreams for all who behold me… A being most commonly known as the Holy Grail…"
"The Holy Grail…" Noir repeated.
"Again, not what it looks like," Templar sighed. "It wasn't even that special of a cup… Humans focus on such weird aspects of biblical stories…"
"The Prison of Regression is representative of the collective desires of humanity. They wish to be chained down, surrender their cognition, and neglect the world around them… These feebleminded commonfolk will make your "social reform" all for naught. The shared heart of the masses has fallen into an excess of insolence and transformed into a prison."
Lycan growled as the Shadows started chanting for the Holy Grail. "Damnit… They're worshiping that thing!"
"Thus… the only suitable end for them is to perish within the prison they wished for themselves."
"Get ready! Here it comes!" Mona warned as the Holy Grail started lighting up with power.
"Hell yeah!" Skull grinned, readying this pipe for battle.
"Damn that thing… Let's break it for sure this time!" Oracle said.
"Hecate!" Panther called, her Persona summoning a pillar of fire to attack.
"Anat!" Queen shouted, her Persona blasting out an Atomic Flare to damage the Holy Grail.
"Astarte!" Noir exclaimed, calling down a One-Shot Kill with her Persona.
The Holy Grail powered up as the people worshiped it. "No… Did it heal again…!?" Oracle winced. "We can't lose! Keep attacking! Huh...? Wait, it's color…"
"This isn't over! Coyote, rip it apart!" Lycan shouted as her Persona used Magnadyne to shake the foundation of the room.
"Pierce through the lies, Puck!" Templar called, his Persona blasting a high-pressure wave of water with Aquadyne.
"Nephthys, show your power!" Omen exclaimed, her Persona warping the room around them with Grydyne.
"Not again!" Oracle groaned as the Holy Grail healed once more. "Hey, notice how it changes color every time it heals?"
"Yeah…" Omen nodded with worry.
"Persona!" Joker called, summoning Cu Chulainn and attacking the enemy with Brave Blade.
"W-Wait, hold up! It's gonna get totally healed again!" Oracle shouted as the Holy Grail shined in gold. "No fair! This is cheating!"
The Phantom Thieves looked around in worry as the people chanted for their removal. "If this is how the people feel, there's no way we'll be able to steal their hearts…" Mona said. "We've come here for nothing…"
"This is horrible…" Noir said.
"You imbeciles are intoxicated by an undesired "justice"…This is the will of the children of man who have fallen into sloth. My shrine is proof that they desire my existence. As long as humanity yearns for me, I shall never perish."
"Is this really what everyone wants? To stop thinking and be guided by this false idol?" Templar questioned.
"Don't let it fool you," Joker shook his head.
"Yes… It's so frustrating it makes me want to cry…" Templar whispered. "But I… I will never agree!"
"The humans I look up to aren't like that…" Mona said. "No matter how painful reality is, it's all over if you don't try to change how things are! I'm not the only one who believes that. Everyone here agrees… We don't want to turn back into the people we used to be! That's why we risked our lives coming here!"
"Well said, Mona," Omen smiled.
"He's right!" Panther nodded.
"Humanity already wishes for their distortions to be actualized. I am merely the being that will ultimately grant those wishes. Now, it is time I refrain from my place in this world, and begin to encroach upon reality itself."
"That's a load of shit!" Lycan shouted.
"Encroach? What is it gonna do?" Queen wondered.
"Hey, this doesn't look good!" Panther said as the Holy Grail started to glow.
"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Oracle said.
"Mona, what should we do!?" Fox asked as the Treasure powered up.
"…I don't know what you are, but you can't keep arbitrarily deciding all this on your own. Humans aren't all stupid like you say they are!" Mona shouted.
"Hmph. Indolent, foolish humans. You shall offer your hearts to me…" The Holy Grail shout out a powerful, beam, which Omen bared had time to put up a magic barrier to shield them from, though it still knocked the Phantom Thieves back. Omen cried out as her staff suddenly shattered into pieces in her hands.
"No…" she whispered, before keeling over from magical exhaustion.
"Now, the time for the fusion has come…"
"Hey, the ground's…" Templar said as the floor below them started to glow white.
"It's vanishing!?" Noir gasped.
"Hell no…" Skull growled. But the world went white around them.
As she faded out, Omen swore she heard a voice calling out. "Mor… gana… You… are… my…"
[***]
The Phantom Thieves suddenly feel hard on the ground, back in the real world after being forcefully ejected from the Metaverse. "Is everyone okay!?" Collin asked.
"Ow… Of course we are!" Ryuji groaned.
"Oh! Hey, are clothes are back to normal!" Futaba noticed.
"Look!" Morgana said.
"Huh? Shibuya?" Haru gasped.
"We're back!?" Yusuke exclaimed.
"We didn't come back ourselves though… We must've been driven out by the Holy Grail," Octavia said. She held up her hand, frowning as she still held the broken remains of her staff. "Mom is gonna kill me for breaking a family heirloom…"
"Did we lose?" Makoto asked.
"We can't give up," Ren said.
"I know that, but…" Makoto looked down.
Loona sniffed the air, wincing as droplets of liquid started falling on her head. "Huh? The fuck!?" she shouted as bone-like structures started shooting out of the ground, followed by the skies turning red and blood rain falling down on them.
"Mementos here in… Shibuya?" Makoto gasped. "Is this what it meant by "the fusion"!?"
"To think this would happen…" Morgana said.
"No way… You gotta be shitting me!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Collin… You wouldn't happen to think the heavens will open up and fix this, right?" Loona asked, nervousness in her voice.
The cherub shook his head. "I don't think they'll be of much help for this…"
Yusuke looked around as people went about their daily lives like nothing was wrong. "Why isn't anyone noticing this abnormality?"
"It's probably because they don't feel like it's odd…" Octavia guessed.
Futaba suddenly clutched her head, falling to the ground in pain. "What's wrong!?" Loona asked, rushing to her sister's side.
"Oh… I feel… woozy…" Futaba replied.
"Futaba, grab on!" Ann offered out a hand, before falling to the ground herself in pain.
"Ann-chan!?" Haru gasped, before falling to the ground herself.
Soon all of the Phantom Thieves were on the ground in pain. "Is this… by the Holy Grail too?" Makoto asked.
"That… son of a bitch!" Ryuji cursed, trying to stand up. "Goddamnit… What's this creepy-ass shit about- Ugh!" He suddenly screamed out. "My… My hand!"
"Ryuji?" Ann said, before noticing that, like Ryuji's hand, her legs were starting to fade out of existence.
"This can't be real, right?" Collin questioned.
"What's happening to us?" Yusuke said.
"No… no!" Haru exclaimed.
"My body's… disappearing…" Futaba said.
"Don't tell me…" Morgana said.
The Holy Grail's laugh echoed. "Indeed. This isn't my doing. You imbeciles are about to disappear from the people's cognition."
"That damn voice…" Loona growled.
"Mementos and reality have become one… Thus, those who have disappeared from cognition cannot exist anywhere."
"Disappear my ass… What the hell!" Ryuji screamed as he faded away.
"Ryuji!" Ann gasped as she too disappeared.
"Is this really it?" Yusuke questioned as he winced and faded away.
"No! No-" Futaba screamed as she faded.
"Sis!" Loona shouted. "You bastard, I'll kill you, I'll kill y-" She faded soon after.
"We… failed…" Collin despaired as he faded away.
"Morgana.. where did we… go wro-" Makoto asked as she disappeared.
"Ah… Aah…" Haru breathed heavily as she faded away.
"Is this all my fault? Because I… brought you all there?" Morgana said.
"It's not your fault," Ren said.
"I didn't mean to… I-I'm… I'm sorry… This mission's… a failure…" Morgana said as she disappeared.
"Ren… Mom… Dad… Uncle… Philemon… Help us…" Octavia said as she disappeared into nothing.
Author's Note
I don't have a lot of notes for this chapter, since the big reveals are all happening next time. Really all that's changed is Paimon taking Kaneshiro's place in the prison, and some differing dialogue with the Helluva Trio. This chapter does confirm that Joker maxed out all of his Confidants, though, which I figured was a given since I didn't want any of the Thieves to be underpowered for this final fight.
As for the depths of Mementos itself, it's okay as a dungeon. I think it does make sense that Sloth is the final sin, since in our modern world I believe it's the one we all struggle with the most. Inaction and apathy are easy- it's actually waking up, getting up, and getting out there to make a difference that takes work and incites change (and yes, that was a reference to the base P5 opening song. What can I say, it's a banger).